I was glued to the book at this point, struck by a sense of impending doom as soon as Wil discovered her ‘talent’. Her father’s obsession with empire building is plunging his nation into war and because Wil knows he would use her to finance his dreams if he was aware of her new ability, she chooses instead to live with this inner turmoil. Yet, rather than telling her loved ones about this new dangerous power, Wil does her best to hide it from the rest of her family. As it’s impossible to maintain a resting heart rate 24/7, this leaves Wil living in permanent fear of hurting her family members with something as simple as a hug or the brush of a hand. She experiments with it, with Gerdie’s help, and finds that she can turn any living thing into a precious stone when her heartbeat speeds up.

Have you ever spent time contemplating fairy tales and thinking about how some “gifts” are more like curses? That thought had occurred to Wil in the past, and it’s one she can’t get out of her head after discovering this new power. It’s the first time she’s ever exhibited this power, likely brought out by the stress of the moment, and it frightens both Wil and her brother.

This second incident ends unexpectedly when Wil’s touch turns the man to ruby, killing him. Unfortunately, the merchant doesn’t forget about her, and the next time Wil goes into the city he’s lying in wait. While she’s run into trouble doing this before, her latest trip involves an unusually violent altercation with a merchant, and Wil barely escapes back to the palace with her life. One frequent exploit for teenage Wil involves sneaking into the capital city to procure materials for her brother Gerdie’s experiments. But over time this is forgotten, as the royals regain their health and Wil embarks on a childhood full of adventure as she seeks to keep up with her older brothers. Both mother and daughter seem to hover at death’s door in those first few days, leading to rumors that Wil is cursed. Wil is the fourth child of the King of Arrod, a much longed-for daughter by a queen who has given birth to three sons.

The prologue begins with the tale of Wilhelmina (Wil) Heidle’s birth. I didn’t plan to get emotionally invested in the characters, and I certainly didn’t expect to be so impatient for the next book. Picking it up, I was prepared for a light read that I could enjoy but forget about once I was finished.

The Glass Spare will probably go down as my most unexpected DIK of 2017.

The Glass Spare by Lauren DeStefano